Interchange Conference Transcript
y:\diwe5net\CLASSES\KWestm0e\CHAT\3Frindle
[Message #1 07:35:11 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Karin Westman:
Diction -- that is, word choice -- certainly plays a leading role in Frindle, given Nick's experience with Mrs. Granger and his attempts to make "frindle" a word which others use. What about setting and point of view, though? What role do these elements of fiction play in our experience of the story's themes?
[Message #2 09:49:05 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Katie Patterson:
I think that the classroom setting of this story is important because that is where most of the "action" revolves around.
[Message #3 09:49:38 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Meghan Harris:
The setting of this story lends to the experience of the themes in part because it is a classroom where the actual use of the word begins. Nick is given the opportunity to explore how the word takes effect with the help of his classmates who also are intrigued by how a change in a word will affect their learning of words.
[Message #4 09:50:00 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
allison stasi:
I am not sure what role setting plays in the story. But point of view, I've found, seems to make a huge difference. The main character is a child that is about 10 or 11 years old. Because of his age and where the story is set, he is around children a majority of the time. The story would not flow as well if he was older or not in school. The whole story is based around the school.
[Message #5 09:51:03 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Karin Westman:
What are the connotations of a school, classroom, to develop Meghan's comment?
[Message #6 09:52:36 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
allison stasi:
The connotations of a school room could be a number of things, but the most prevalent is an enviroment that develops one socially and mentally
[Message #7 09:53:32 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
allison stasi:
and the classroom helps develop maturity
[Message #8 09:53:38 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Karin Westman:
...often through lots of rules, yes? How important are rules to the story's development?
[Message #9 09:53:55 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Meghan Harris:
The role of the classroom also allows us to understand that the learning that goes on for young children trying to understand the components of education. It enables us to see an environment where learning is a priority; therefore when Nick uses the word frindle for pen we can better see how new ideas are developed when a child is allowed to use their creativity.
[Message #10 09:56:06 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Katie Patterson:
Rules are important because, it's by fighting against Mrs. Granger that Nick's word truly develops. I think that it's good that the author had over 100 students oppose the rules even though they had to stay after school for doing it.
[Message #11 09:56:45 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
allison stasi:
Rules are enforced in the story, Mrs. Granger makes kids stay after and write after they use the word. Also, Nick's parents strictly advise him to not answer controversial questions from the press. I think rules were a big part of the book's lesson
[Message #12 09:57:34 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Karin Westman:
So when is it ok to break the rules of the school, according to the story? Nick does, and yet we're supposed to be siding with him, right?
[Message #13 09:59:45 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Meghan Harris:
I think Nick follows only one rule in this book and that is to go against the set rules and explore his own ideas. He breaks the rules so that we can see that some rules are meant to be broken, especially when you want to make something happen. It seemed that he was only breaking the rules to learn the lessons of a developing language, which really was a lesson taught (though implicitly) by Mrs. Granger.
[Message #14 10:00:02 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Katie Patterson:
I think the book is trying to get the message across that it's ok to break rules when you have a good cause. Nick's word wasn't meant to be controversial, he was just trying to put his knowledge to use.
[Message #15 10:00:13 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
allison stasi:
That is the same question that I kept asking myself when I was reading. I think the story is somewhat far-fetched. However, Nick did break the rules for a good cause. He did help to develop more vocabulary.
[Message #16 10:02:40 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Meghan Harris:
He showed us that it is possible to begin something new and to explore the different sides of where language originates. In a way it seems that the lesson that we learn is that it is possible to be the perpetrators of change and to develop ourselves mentally beyond what is set in stone in a teacher's lesson plans.
[Message #17 10:02:42 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Karin Westman:
...and he seemed genuinely interested in testing the limits of the "rules" of the classroom and the dictionary. He is also never mean or rude, which seems important, too.
What about the story's point of view? How does it contribute to our experience?
[Message #18 10:02:53 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
allison stasi:
Because Nick broke the rules, he earned respect and popularity. Is that neccessarily true for children who go against the rules?
[Message #19 10:03:52 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Karin Westman:
****If you like, you can switch conferences and join another. Be sure to read all the messages before entering the conversation. Or, you can stay here!
[Message #20 10:05:25 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Katie Patterson:
I think that the point of view contributes to our experience by letting us see what all the characters are doing, not just Nick.
[Message #21 10:06:38 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
allison stasi:
I agree, the reader gets to know most of his classmates, his teacher, and his parents.
[Message #22 10:08:00 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Karin Westman:
Though we mostly stay with Nick's p.o.v. -- what would the story be like if it was told from Mrs. Granger's point of view, or if we ever got inside Mrs. Granger's head?
[Message #23 10:07:59 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Meghan Harris:
I agree as well because the word is only thought up by Nick, but in order for it to take shape as a new word for everyone to use, the other characters are involved in its use.
[Message #24 10:09:46 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
allison stasi:
If the story was told from Mrs. G's pov, then Nick would be protrayed as more of an antagonist.
[Message #25 10:10:21 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
allison stasi:
It would make Mrs. G sound like she was being bullied and he was a problem child.
[Message #26 10:10:58 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Meghan Harris:
If it was told from Mrs. Granger's point of view the story would be less interesting and more structured to how adults view language and the problems of a child.
[Message #27 10:11:11 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Katie Patterson:
I agree and I think that we would see him as more of a troublemaker than just a child trying to develop his creativity
[Message #28 10:11:39 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Meghan Harris:
It's his creativity that moves the plot.
[Message #29 10:11:41 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
allison stasi:
More often than not, people have sympathy for teachers
[Message #30 10:12:21 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Karin Westman:
Yes -- Nick would certainly be the torublemaker if the story was told through Mrs. G's pov, though we'd also know much earlier that she wasn't the villian she appeared to be. That shift would alter our expereince of the plot, I think, and certainly take away the suspense about what will happen to Nick's word.
[Message #31 10:12:44 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
allison stasi:
I agree
[Message #32 10:15:03 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
allison stasi:
Without some sort of danger or villan, the story would not be as intersting.
[Message #33 10:15:43 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Karin Westman:
****To wrap up this part of our conversation, take a look back over the conference postings, and offer a final posting here:
Identify two themes you see developing in Clement's _Frindle_ and an example to illustrate each one.
[Message #34 10:17:48 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
allison stasi:
Two themes from Frindle are to never give up on what you believe is right & if you work hard to get what you want, the outcome is always positive.
[Message #35 10:18:16 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Karin Westman:
RE: #34: And examples for those themes?
[Message #36 10:19:57 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Katie Patterson:
I think that one theme would be faith. Nick's friends supported him even though they got punished for it. Another theme would be to be careful what you wish for. The word spread farther than Nick ever thought it would this ended up squashing down Nick's creativity.
[Message #37 10:20:45 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
allison stasi:
1) Nick would persist with his parents and would even get into trouble for the word. 2) Since he was so determined about the word and he made the word known, he received adult's respect and even money .
[Message #38 10:21:04 AM, Thursday, January 30, 2003]
Meghan Harris:
Creativity and imagination can take a child further than just the lessons learned in a classroom. His new word was the work of his creativity and by exploring the possibilities of his imagination he was able to learn about language as well as his own cababilities in learning.